Actually a good idea, at the start the system I have no doubt is a bit slow paced because as you said you build up and just start out. After your first day of questing/building/mining etc... there are moment where you will have to wait I am sure to do something. This is a great idea actually, thou from what I read there is some kind points you earn that can speed things along. Maybe use your idea with getting these points then being able to speed up stuff like resource gathering or building. Good idea thou, I wouldn't mind seeing...

- A meeting hub (that in game would be a tavern) and you could meet other lords there on neutral ground.
- Here you can talk and strategize while participating in mini-games that would represent the era the devs are working in.
- Game like , drinking ones, (click the mouse so many times etc) and cards, dice, your basic gambling games.
- Later they could even expand this into 1st person shoot offs with archery , or maybe current rts view one and one combat (like a tournement of champions, jousting etc)

Eh a ton they could do, just don't know if it's in the schedual. Anyways, great idea!

There is a large group of players out there who would rather do something else than wait to kill 99 wild boars

And in Dawn of Fantasy - we give you the option to do "something else" outside of waiting for a certain event (building, resources e.t.c) - you can even log of and switch off your computer.
However - we know another group of players - loves to play continuously, and we tried to make everyone happy - Dawn of Fantasy does offer a lot of side activities. For example - even in the really early game, while waiting for your peasants to gather or a certain building to go up, you can:
-Perform one of many dozens of quests and progress with the storyline
-Send army to fight Player Vs Environment in the nearby territory
-Send army to fight a PvP
-Send goods/livestock e.t.c for sale to one of NPC towns
-Explore NPC towns
-Chat with other players, try to make it into a guild
And so on and so on...